Well, it’s
looking more and more like I might just get the opportunity to vacation by the
sea, this year (fingers crossed)! Wouldn’t that be lovely? If I get to go, I’ll
enjoy all of Mother Nature's ocean wildlife that I get a chance to
see, right down to the tiniest barnacle, although I hope I get to see some of
the bigger guys, too, like starfish, jellyfish, crabs and maybe even a seal.
But
the one critter I would dearly love to see in the world is also one of the most
challenging for us mere human’s to happen across - - the whale!
Like
most folks, I’ve almost only ever seen the orca in photos or on film. The one
exception was a long, long ago trip to an aquarium where a couple of whales
were living in a little tank doing tricks for several audiences a day. It’s not
a great way to see them, at all. Nothing natural about the habitat or their
behavior in those circumstances. There have also been concerns, of late, that
such captivity does things to the animals’ bodies and minds. There are multiple
accounts of captive whales having their dorsal fins flop to one side, never to
stand erect again. There are other stories of the whales being so unhappy in
their little tanks that they get upset and do things dangerous things leading
their trainers to get hurt.
But,
a ray of sunshine sparkles across the rippling ocean surface! Sea World in
Orlando, an aquarium that’s been at the heart of much controversy in the last
few years, has decided to end its whale captivity program once and for all!
They still have a generation of whales that have been in captivity too long to
survive in the wild, but they’ll lead a different kind of life from those who
swam before them. Then, no more whales will be captured.
Of
course it means that many people will never see the whales at all anymore, but
it also means far fewer whales living in little tanks. You’ve got to balance it
out and see which is more beneficial.
Out
in the wild, many people are working hard to keep the wild orcas safe and
sound. The most recent effort has been in the form of satellite chips. The
chips are embedded in the whale using darts that break up and fall away,
leaving only the desired part. Satellites then follow the chips to see where
the whales go, until the chips, too fall off and disappear. They usually only
last a few months and are designed to be harmless.
The
plan was to determine where, exactly, the whales winter in order to protect
that area and keep the whales safe. There are still way to many poachers on the
ocean.
It
seemed like a decent idea when it started.
But
then something when very wrong.
Scientists
found a dead whale and, when they examined him, they found bits of that dart
still stuck in his skin. That fall-away dart didn’t do a good job of falling
away. Now that a second whale has been found with the same condition, people
are starting to get worried. Does it have to do with the darts? Are they
causing some sort of irreparable damage? The examination showed the dart
fragments were in the skin. It didn’t indicate those fragments had anything to
do with the deaths. It didn’t actually prove any particular cause of death.
But
just to be sure, scientists have suspended the satellite dart program until
they can investigate further and find out what’s going on. Better to be safe!
So,
here’s hoping they can figure this out and either build better tracking
equipment, or find ways to protect the whales that don’t involve foreign objects
in their skin.
After
all, the whales have things to do. They’re experiencing an exciting new baby
boom, after all!
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